February 10, 2009

Cook County commissioners agree on tentative budget

Cook County commissioners today closed a multi-million dollar hole in Board President Todd Stroger's budget proposal, setting the stage for the likely approval next week of a nearly $3 billion spending plan.

But the plan banks on new federal revenue that’s not yet guaranteed. It also leaves unresolved the county's large pension obligation and any plans to finance tens of millions of dollars in construction projects.

The tentative agreement was forged after the board's Finance Committee ultimately rejected Stroger's plan for a massive bond deal to cover some county spending.

Instead, the committee approved a series of relatively small cuts in Stroger's proposal over the course of an eight-hour marathon session. Stroger said at its end that he would call a special meeting next week to ratify the new $2.9 billion spending plan that resulted.

Because the Finance Committee is made up of all 17 county commissioners, the budget is expected to be approved as it was redrawn in a series of compromises among Republicans, regular Democrats and self-styled reform Democrats.

“I am satisfied with the way the budget ended,” Stroger said at the end of the meeting.

Comments

The citizens of Cook County need a "stroke" of brilliance, fiscal responsibility, restraint and cost cutting from our elected officials. Not a "stroke" of luck allowing progeny to take over in lieu of fair elections to positions that control thousands of patronage jobs, millions of $$, and who serially lie.

Good Job President Stroger, now maybe you can get back do doing the work of the taxpayers. I hope we can convince the other commissioners to do the same. Oh, wait a minute..Quigley is running to get off the board, Claypool is not on any committees..so what does he do all day??? and Peraica has been pushed out to make way for Vallas (Sorry Tony)

Except for the South Siders, I fully expect the County Board to look very different come election time - starting with the Toddler, and including Johnny Boy Daley. This is ridiculous, and it's been allowed to go on for way too long. Old man Beavers will probably still win, and the Hispanic connection of Maldonado and Moreno, but the rest should face stiff competition and be ousted. Hope it was worth it. Look for more collar suburbs to secede this time around. Yeah!!!

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

Past posts

Clout has a special meaning in Chicago, where it can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. This exercise of political influence in a uniquely Chicago style was chronicled in the Tribune cartoon "Clout Street" in the early 1980s. Clout Street, the blog, offers an inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to the Statehouse in Springfield, through the eyes of the Tribune's political and government reporters.